How to Use Possession-Based Toy Play for Reinforcement: Masterclass Sneak Peek

Reaching for the cookies is a common go-to for reinforcement. It’s a well-known and easy reward. But there are other forms that are just as powerful - sometimes even more so than food! For pets who don’t show interest in food outside of meals or who are fussy about the treats they like, play is an alternative reinforcement source. But most animals don't come out of the box knowing how to play in a way that's useful for training. If you want to have possession-based play in your reinforcement toolbox, it’s important to teach your pets the rules before you start using it during training and setups.

This bite-sized episode is a peek into one of Naomi's Cat and Dog Coexistence Club Masterclasses where she ran through the basics of reinforcement and provided the general structure of how possession-based play as reinforcement works.

To listen to the episode, press play below.

Key Moments

[00:55] Introduction: The Power of Play

[01:15] What is Reinforcement?

[02:34] The Three Main Types of Reinforcing Events

[06:19] The Easiest for Reinforcing: The Completely Controlled Events

[07:54] The differences between Play-based Reinforcement and Food-based Reinforcement

[09:55] Teaching Toy Skills: Types of Play

[11:03] Teaching Toy Skills: The Framework of Possession-based play

If you want access to these Masterclasses live, you can join the Cat and Dog Coexistence Club! Membership is included in all of my private training programs so take the quiz to find out which program would suit you best! And if you’d like to have a look into some food-based reinforcement options, have a listen to the companion episode to this one, on treat options for non-food motivated pets.

Resources

Read the transcription or watch the section of the Masterclass from this episode

Episode 33: Treat Options for your Non-food Motivated Pet